Holy
Saturday (in Latin, Sabbatum Sanctum ), the 'day of the
entombed Christ', is the Lord's day of rest, for on that day
Christ's body lay in His tomb. We recall the Apostle's Creed
which says "He descended unto the dead." It is a day of suspense
between two worlds, that of darkness, sin and death, and that of
the Resurrection and the restoration of the Light of the World.
For this reason no divine services are held until the Easter
Vigil begins that night. This day between Good Friday and Easter
Day makes present to us the end of one world and the complete
newness of the era of salvation inaugurated by the Resurrection
of Christ.

Ideally, Holy Saturday should be the quietest day of the year
(although this is not so easy in a busy household with children
as it might be in a convent or monastery.) Nightfall on Holy
Saturday is time for joy and greatest expectation because of the
beautiful liturgy of the Easter Vigil, often referred to as the
Mother of all Holy Vigils, or the Great Service of Light. The
Easter Vigil was restored to the liturgy in 1955, during the
liturgical reform which preceded the Second Vatican Council.

During the day, the preparations at home which must be made for
Easter Day are appropriate, however, because they keep our
attention fixed on the holiness and importance of the most
central feast of the Church. Working with our children to
prepare for Easter can offer us many 'teaching moments', as
well.

The Easter Vigil: The night vigil of Easter signifies
Christ's passage from the dead to the living by the the liturgy
which begins in darkness (sin, death) and is enlightened by the
fire and the candle representing Lumen Christithe Light of
Christjust as the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, the
community of believers, is led from spiritual darkness to the
light of His truth. Christ's baptism, which our own baptism
imitates, is represented during the liturgy by the blessing of
the water of baptism by immersing (`burying') the candle
representing His Body into the font.

During the liturgy we recall God's sparing of the Hebrews whose
doors were marked with the blood of the lamb; we are sprinkled
with the blessed water by which we were cleansed from original
sin through Christ's sacrifice, and we repeat our baptismal
vows, renouncing Satan and all his works. We rejoice at Christ's
bodily resurrection from the darkness of the tomb; and we pray
for our passage from death into eternal life, from sin into
grace, from the weariness and infirmity of old age to the
freshness and vigor of youth, from the anguish of the Cross to
peace and unity with God, and from this sinful world unto the
Father in heaven.

The Water

The Easter Vigil includes a blessing of water. The water is a
sign of purification and of baptism. Holy water, that is, water
that has been ceremonially blessed is a sacramental.
Sacramentals are "sacred signs which bear a resemblace to the
sacraments[by which the faithful are] given access to the stream
of divine grace which flows from the paschal mystery of the
passion, death, and resurrection of Christthe fountain from
which all sacraments and sacramentals draw their power."
[Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, No. 60. Second Vatican
Council Documents] Some other common sacramentals are blessed
palm (and the ashes used on Ash Wednesday made from them),
candles, medals, priestly blessings and other prayers.

Water blessed during the Easter Vigil is used for baptisms and
other blessings. This water does not last the whole year, so
there is a special blessing for holy water used at other times
of the year, also. Traditionally the blessing of holy water
includes an exorcism, or protection against evil, and the
addition of salt, a spiritual symbol of wisdom which preserves
our faith.

Catholic churches have basins or `fonts' containing holy water
near the entrance so that believers can dip their fingers in it
before making the sign of the cross as they enter the House of
God as a symbol of purification. This simple gesture reminds
believers of their consecration to Christ in baptism, and
visibly indicates their acceptance of the Catholic faith.

The blessed water is available for members of the parish to keep
at home to use for special prayers and blessings. In European
Churches there are usually large stone basins filled with holy
water near the entrance which are used by people in making the
sacramental sign and also serve as reservoirs.

A bottle of holy water used to be found in virtually every
Catholic home, but the private use of holy water has diminished,
probably because people no longer know what it is used for or
how to use it. However, it is a very powerful sign and children
especially love to learn to use holy water to bless a wreath or
flowers or other special religious articles used in the home as
a sign of consecration to the Lord. It would be good to have a
small bowl or font of holy water near the entrance door of the
house for family members to use during the penetential season of
Lent.

The Light of Christ (Lumen Christi)

The Paschal candle represents Christ, the Light of the World: "I
am the light of the world. He that followeth me walketh not in
darkness" [John 8:12]. The pure beeswax of which the candle is
made represents the sinless Christ who was formed in the womb of
His Mother. The wick signifies His humanity; the flame, His
Divine Nature, both soul and body. Five grains of incense
inserted into the candle in the form of a cross recall the
aromatic spices with which His Sacred Body was prepared for the
tomb, and of the five wounds in His hands, feet, and side.

During the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night the priest or
deacon carries the candle in procession into the dark church. A
new fire, symbolizing our eternal life in Christ, is kindled
which lights the candle. The candle, representing Christ
Himself, is blessed by the priest who then inscribes in it a
cross, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, (Alpha
and Omega - 'the beginning and the end') and the current year,
as he chants the prayer below. He then affixes the five grains
of incense.

The Easter candle is the largest and most beautiful in the
Church. It is a reminder of the Risen Redeemer "who shining in
light left the tomb." It is lighted each day during Mass
throughout the Paschal season until Ascension Thursday.

In Rome, the wax of the Easter candle from St. Peter's is used
to make little locket-like Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) medals. The
heart-shaped gold-colored locket is embossed with a cross and a
lamb and contains a drop of blessed wax.